


Old Friends, Misguided Well Wishes and Lesbianism

by alittleduck



Series: the best laid intentions [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Gen, M/M, gay Zuko, lesbian Toph, warning for shenanigans?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 09:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17444207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittleduck/pseuds/alittleduck
Summary: Toph comes out, Aang doesn't get it and Zuko’s still lusting after Sokka. Luckily, Katara has already invented being a good ally, so when the Gaang comes agrees to meet up for a post-war reunion, there’s no way anything could go wrong. Right?





	Old Friends, Misguided Well Wishes and Lesbianism

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so, um, I really have no excuse for this fic at all other than that it made me laugh but there WILL be one more part to this madness (sokka’s part!) so buckle in I guess??

It started, like most things, with a harmless misunderstanding. Or, rather, a misunderstanding that Aang thought was harmless at the time but which, in retrospect was super  _ not _ harmless. Oops? 

Immediately after the war had ended, everyone had lingered for at Zuko’s palace. No one had wanted to be the first one to leave, but they had known they couldn’t stay forever. In the end, it was Sokka and Suki who left first, back to Kyoshi Island, and everyone else was quick to follow. 

They’d all agreed to meet up a exactly one month later at Zuko’s palace, though. A reunion, of sorts. Travel was surprisingly quick when you had a flying bison at your disposal and also no official responsibilities. 

Or at least, that was the plan. Aang and Katara, personally, were running late.  _ Very _ late.

That was technically when the whole harmless misunderstanding business started, because originally, Aang was going to pick up Toph but Toph assured him that she had a ride with a ‘friend of hers’. Aang hadn’t known how to respond so he’d just agreed and now -- 

“Aang! Left! Left!” They were  _ really really  _ lost. Not that Toph would’ve helped much with that particular problem but -- 

“Katara,” Aang responded through gritted teeth. “If I went anymore left we’d fly off the side of the world.”

“No, if you don’t start going left, you’re going to miss the entire Fire Nation.”

“It’s kind of big, I doubt I miss it entirely,” Aang pointed out. 

“Argh!” Katara threw her arms in the air. “I told you we should’ve gotten Sokka first.”

“He sent Hawky! He said he and Suki were going to make their own way --”

“Yeah, but did he ever think about us?” Katara demanded. “Maybe we need him.”

“Oh no,” Aang corrected cheerfully. “We  _ definitely _ need him. I have no idea how to read a map.”

“I know,” Katara growled. “You were trying to navigate with the map upside down. For the last  _ three days _ . We’ve been flying in  _ circles. _ ”

“Yeah,” Aang admitted. “That wasn’t my best move. But if we’d been reading it the right way, we wouldn’t have gotten to ride the jaguar salmon!”

“That’s not a win Aang!” Katara snapped back, only half kidding. 

Aang laughed. “It was so --”

“Aang!” Katara interrupted. “Look! That’s a Fire Nation house!”

Aang pulled on Appa’s reigns and looked down. There was a Fire Nation house right there. It was all formal and regal and right at the base of a volcano. He looked up at the horizon. Hey, that looked just like the palace. “Hey,” he said, pointing at the horizon, “I think that’s the palace!”

Katara ran over to the side of Appa’s saddle to look. Holy shit it  _ was  _ the palace!

“Woo! We made it!” Katara shouted, jumping up and down. In her elation, she grabbed Aang and kissed him. “I knew we could do it!”

“What?” Aang’s mouth said on autopilot. Aang’s mind was still buzzing with the thoughts of Katara’s lips. 

When they landed in Zuko’s palace, Aang was still a little dazed. Katara, on the other hand, wasn't dazed at all. She vaulted over Appa and sprinted into the castle, leaving Aang to fend for himself. “After all,” she called cheerfully over her shoulder. “I hear you're one powerful bender!” 

Aang grinned and shot a blast of air to gently left her off her feet and deposit her much closer to the courtyard door. 

Katara told him that she was going to try to find Sokka -- or whoever she could, honestly.   

“Sounds good!” Aang called after her. After all, Apps had to be taken care of and Aang didn't mind doing it. He actually preferred it this way and didn't usually let anyone else do it. Katara was one of the rare exceptions but she didn't really like doing it as much as Aang did. Humming happily, Aang headed off towards the stables.  

 

* * *

 

The only problem was that after Appa was properly taken care of and shown to his new temporary home, Aang was alone to wander through the grounds. Oh, maybe there’d be some cool new animals in the Royal Pond? Aang didn’t technically know if the turtle duck pond in the garden was called the Royal Pond but he did know that if it wasn’t, it should be. 

If Aang were a Fire Lord, he’d come up with a fancy name for everything! 

Half way down the path to the newly christened Royal Pond, he heard raised voices. Hey, that sounded like -- 

“And for the last time, I really don’t like it when you - ” The angry voice came from a small person wearing typical Earth Kingdom robes and -- 

“Toph!” Aang shouted and ran over to wrap his arms around her. Toph lifted her hand and sent Aang flying backwards to avoid her massive rock wall. 

“Ow,” he protested lightly, dusting himself. 

“Careful, Twinkletoes.”

Aang went to hug Toph a second time, smiling just as big. She hugged him back this time, wrapping her arms all the way around him. “Toph, it’s so good to see you!”

“You too, Aang,” she admitted, and then she squeezed him extra tightly. Aang tried not to flinch. 

That’s when Aang noticed the person standing next to Toph. “Hey!” He asked brightly. Whose that?”

“Jin,” Toph said. Toph didn’t say anything else, but her cheeks were unusually pink. 

“Jin!” Aang exclaimed. “It’s great to meet a friend of Toph’s.”

“She’s --” Toph started.

“I’m not --” Jin said. 

“We’re dating,” Toph said, aggressively this time, grabbing Jin’s hand. 

Aang’s first reaction to was to laugh, but when Toph didn’t say anything or let go of Jin’s hand, his laughter petered out. “But that doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “How are you going to have babies?”

He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as he said it. He didn’t even mean to! He was just surprised and confused and thinking out loud and then Aang saw the betrayal flash through Toph’s eyes, before her expression shut down. 

“I wasn’t asking your opinion!” Toph spat at Aang. 

“I -- I didn’t mean it that way!” Aang protested. “I think it’s fine to -- I don’t know -- I was just surprised --”

“Save it, Twinkletoes,” Toph snapped. “It doesn’t matter, okay, I don’t even care,” she said. Aang didn’t have to be an earthbender with seismic to know that Toph was lying but he was and he did. 

With dismay, he realized that her shoulders were clenched tightly and she was walking away. 

“Toph,” Aang protested, trying to stop her, “I’m trying to say I’m sorry --”

Toph grabbed Jin’s arm, dragging Jin behind her. Jin smiled and waved at Aang. Toph lightly smacked her hand down. “Okay, so you said it. You’re forgiven. You can go now.” She kept walking. 

“No, wait -!” Aang jumped after her, only to have to throw himself sideways to avoid an incoming boulder. 

When he’d regained his balance, Toph was gone. Aang jumped up on the roof, catching air currents and looking around. He wouldn’t put it past Toph to -- literally -- go underground, just to avoid talking to him. 

How had this gone so wrong so quickly? 

Filled with guilt, Aang bounced off to find Katara. She would let him apologize and feel guilty and she’d probably kiss him afterwards. And best of all she’d probably know how he could apologize to Toph. Katara had  _ a lot _ of practice apologizing to Toph. Though he probably shouldn’t mention that part, Aang reminded himself. 

  
  


* * *

 

He found Katara with Zuko, sitting in the courtyard and sorting through piles of palace staff. 

“Hey, you found Zuko!” he said when he spotted them. “Are you two sorting through to find the best, most efficient new guards for Zuko?” He chirped. 

“Um,” Katara blushed. “Yes.”

“We were definitely doing that and nothing else,” Zuko added, kind of smirking a little bit at Katara. 

“Can I see?” Aang asked, glancing over the pile. “Why are you only looking through the male guards?” he asked. 

“Yeah, Katara,” Zuko said, smirk getting bigger. “Why aren’t we going through the female guards?”

“We -- um -- we haven’t gotten there yet?” Katara said. 

“Can I help?” Aang asked, picking up one of the pictures. It was a of a strong browed young man with a strong jaw. Aang frowned. “He’s got almost no experience. Where’s the reject pile?”

Katara gave the picture of the tall, beautiful man one last lingering, regretful glance. “Over there,” she said, pointing at the pile to the left of her. 

“Now --” she started, but Aang interrupted. 

“Hey!” He said, pulling the picture of a sixty-five year old man out of the pile, “I think you made a mistake with this guy! He’s guarded like, twelve thousand people! He should be in the accept pile, not the reject pile!”

“Yeah Katara,” Zuko said, this time unable to control his voice, shaking with laughter, “why wouldn’t you want to … accept that guy?”

Katara pressed her lips together and prepared to swallow her pride. “Okay, okay! We weren’t selecting new staff! We were just … sorting. The staff. Into arbitrary piles. Based on … arbitrary physical features. It’s really boring here, okay!” Katara said defensively. 

“What?” Aang asked. 

“We were making hot or not piles of my father’s royal guard,” Zuko said, dryly. “It was Katara’s idea.”

Aang widened his eyes. “But, Katara!” he said. He pouted. “What about me? Aren’t I all the -- you know -- that you need?” 

“Aang,” she said, laughing, “We were just bored and messing around. It doesn’t -- mean anything. Besides,” she added hastily, “you are the Avatar, which is way cooler, and --”

Zuko snickered. Katara kicked him. “Ow,” he said. 

“Behave yourself,” she simply responded, showing no sympathy while Zuko pouted and rubbed his ankle. 

Aang was still riffling through the piles while Katara and Zuko were talking. 

“Katara, I’m ashamed of you,” Zuko teased back. “You off all people should know that violence is never the answer.” 

“Unless they really really deserve it,” Katara tried to kick Zuko again, not noticing Aang until jumped in front of her, holding a picture out. 

“Hey!” Aang said, eyes looking dangerously watery, “this is a bald guy!  _ I’m _ a bald guy! Why would you put him in the not hot pile?”

Katara bit her bottom lip. “Aang, I -- um, Zuko did it,” Katara said. “He -- made me do it.” 

“Yes,” Zuko said, through gritted teeth, glaring at Katara. “I made Katara do it. I said that just because the Avatar was her boyfriend, that didn’t mean that Zhao Din was an attractive man. I mean, his name is  _ Zhao _ !”

“Oh,” Aang said, relaxing immediately. “Katara, you shouldn’t let Zuko tell you what to do like that.”

This time Katara was the one giving Zuko a Look, but he only mouthed ‘you owe me’ smugly, ignoring her Look completely. 

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” she muttered agressively. “I  _ definitely _ need to work at standing up for myself around Zuko.” She didn’t try to kick him a third time, but only because Aang was watching and he would look at her with that disappointed Avatar face. “Now, why were you looking for us?”

“Oh,” Aang said again, only this time, his face fell. “It’s Toph. I think I upset her.”

Katara snorted. “What did you say now?”

“Hey!” Aang objected. “What do you mean, what did I say now? I’m the master of tact!”

“Aang,” Katara said. “You told me that you would rather kiss me than die, and then you thoguht it was a compliment.”

Aang blushed. “Okay,” he said. “Fine. I’m not the most --”

“Diplomatic?” Zuko suggested. 

“Eloquent?” Katara guessed. 

Aang glared at both of them. “I was  _ clearly  _ going to say tactful,” he told both of them while they snickered. 

Before Aang could protest any further, Katara crawled over to kiss Aang on the cheek. “Sorry, babe.”

Aang smiled. “Thanks, Katara.”

“So,” Zuko cleared his throat. “What happened with Toph?”

Aang got about half way through his explanation until he got to the part with the girlfriend, to which Zuko responded by choking on his own spit. 

This sent his guards running into the open courtyard, pushing Katara and Aang out of the way and into the ground and sending the carefully arranged pictures of flying. The ensuing scuffle, flying papers and loud protests from Aang, Katara and Zuko in turn attracted the attention of Suki and Sokka who were apparently had just arrived and were taking a little tour of the Palace. 

“Oh my Kyoshi!” Suki said, knocking Aang and Katara over again as she raced in, “Is he going to be okay?”

“Don’t know,” One of the guards (number sixty-nine of Katara’s hot list) grunted, squezing the life out of Zuko’s chest, “might be poison.”

“It’s not poison!” Katara yelled. “Zuko’s just a dumbass --”

“It’s true,” Aang said eagerly. 

“The Avatar just said it was poison!” a second guard (number negative one on Katara’s not hot list) yelled. “Someone force his mouth open!”

“No!” Aang cried in horror. “I meant -- listen to Katara, everyone. She’s my girlfriend, actually! She’s so smart and funny and --”

“The poison’s not coming out!” guard number sixty-nine yelled. 

“Poison?” Sokka said, panting, arriving just behind Suki. 

“Or choking,” guard number negative one yelled, who was largely watching guard sixty-nine try to force the poison out of Zuko’s body and doing absolutely nothing to help replied. 

“Askf aglkjan sdhfe,” Zuko sputtered around guard number sixty-nine’s hand. 

Number sixty-nine removed his hand. 

“Guys, please,” Zuko coughed out and Sokka took this as his cue to jump into action. 

“Zuko, buddy, we got you,” and then he started just absolutely wailing on Zuko’s back. “Just cough it up, buddy, cough it back up.”

“I’m -- I’m fine,” cough, “really I’m --” cough, “one hundred percent -” cough, “STOP!” Zuko finally snapped, using fire bending to propel him away from the group -- or at least away from Sokka’s uh,  _ enthusiastic _ , attempts to save his life. Unfortunately for Zuko, there wasn’t anywhere for him to safely propel to besides into the guards, which is exactly what Zuko did. 

He propelled himself forward into guards number sevens and twenty-eight on his and Katara’s hot or not list respectively and together the three of them tumbled forward off the cobblestones and onto the grass gardens surrounding them. 

Immediately, all his other guards were around him. 

Zuko struggle to his feet, tripped over the back of his robe, flung his hands out into the air and finally wobbled to a reasonable stance. “Everyone, stop!” he said. “I command you to stop,” he said again, when none of the guards listened. 

“But sir --” number seven said. 

Zuko held up his hand. “I’m fine!” he said. “It was a -- misunderstanding. Aang surprised me. I’m not -- choking.”

“Sir? Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes!” Zuko snapped. 

Number sixty-nine bowed deeply. After a moment’s hesitation, the other guard’s bowed as well. 

“Dismissed,” Zuko told them in a deep croak, rubbing his throat. The guards left. 

“Why were you so shocked anyway?” Katara couldn’t help but ask. “If anyone would be cool about this, Zuko, I’d expect it to be you.”

“It’s just -- I thought -- I always thought she liked Sokka,” Zuko admitted, sheepishly. 

Katara smirked. “Of course you did. Because Sokka is just  _ so _ likeable -- ow!” This time it was Zuko who kicked Katara. 

“Okay,” Sokka interrupted, pointing at Zuko and Katara. “is anyone else worried about this? No offense but you two getting along is just -- terrifying.” He shuddered. Suki rubbed his shoulder, comfortingly while Zuko looked away. 

Katara winced mentally. She had hoped that Zuko had gotten over her brother, but apparently not. She’d have to ask him about that later. For now: Toph. 

“Sokka, stop being a bitch,” Katara instructed. “Aang, sit up and listen.”

“Yes, m’am!” Aang said. 

“Weird you call your girlfriend that,” Zuko said. 

“Actually, it’s very --”

“Actually, I really don’t want to hear this,” Sokka said. Aang had the good grace to look embarrassed.  

“Thank you,” Katara said. 

“Wait,” Suki said. “Before you continue, would anyone mind just catching me up to speed?”

“Well, okay, so the thing is -- I was -- the grounds -- when I -- and I didn’t even mean to --”

“Toph has a girlfriend and Aang reacted poorly,” Zuko said in a flat tone. 

“I did not --”

“Aang did not react in the most ideal way,” Zuko amended. 

“So,” Katara said, trying to get them all back on track. 

“No, go back!” Sokka insisted. “Toph has a girlfriend?”

“Yes,” Katara said impatiently.

“Is that even --”

“Sokka,” Suki warned. “I want you to carefully consider the words you’re about to say and if, maybe, this world might be a little better off if you left them unsaid for once.”

Sokka gulped and shut his mouth. 

“Thank you Suki,” Katara said, but unfortunately Suki wasn’t done. 

“Though I don’t know what the problem is!” Suki continued. “Lots of Kyoshi warriors are, you know, involved with women! There are no men on the island, so it’s pretty common. It’s not a big deal --”

“It’s still technically illegal here,” Zuko pipped up. “Like, we could have Toph arrested. If we wanted to.”

Everyone broke out talking at once. 

“It’s illegal because --” 

“That’s because the Fire Nation is a land of dumb-dumbs --” 

“-- gay sex isn’t even --”

“Fuck you!”

“-- what you have to understand is that --”

“You’re being completely unfair!”

“Spirits!” Katara yelled. “Shut up! Shut up! All of you! God! You guys are all so terrible at this,” Katara continued, in a much calmer tone, once everyone had -- rightfully -- fallen silent. She sniffed, putting her nose in the air smugly. “This is why I’m the first person Zuko told he was gay. I’m the only one mature enough to --”

“Zuko’s gay?!” There was a large crash from behind her where Sokka had just upended an entire set of potted plants. Oh dear, Katara thought, those pots are just … goners. Aang looked similarly 

“Are you kidding me?” Zuko snorted, trying to play it cool by ignoring Sokka. But even Toph, someone who was literally blind, would’ve been able to see how bright his cheeks were. “The only reason you found out is because you were watching me and saw I -- liked --” he made eye contact with Sokka, “um, I mean, because -- you! You were being creepy! Like some sort of creepy -- person who watches people!” Zuko fumbled out. 

“You mean a spy?” Aang asked, helpfully. 

“No, I mean a watching person -- person!” objected Zuko, who clearly did not feel like Aang was helping the situation. His objection was awkward  _ and _ angry, a combination of emotions that, seemingly, only Zuko himself could master. 

“Okay,” Katara primly, “but the point remains that I reacted perfectly.”

“You --” Zuko bit back a strangled laugh. “You told me you didn’t like girls either.”

“Exactly,” Katara said. “Perfectly.”

“Okay,” Aang said, “so should I tell Toph I don’t like guys either? I mean, I don’t think I do. I’ve never really tried to or anything, but maybe I could --”

“Okay!” Sokka cut in. “That is quite enough of that -- no, it’s actually a little bit too much of that --”

“Don’t be a baby, Sokka,” Katara protested. 

“Oh, I’m sorry that I don’t want to hear the details of my sister’s boyfriend’s sexual fantasies,” Sokka shot back and just about everyone in the room including Sokka blushed and fell into a horrified, silent contemplation at that comment. 

Unsurprisingly, it was Aang who broke the silence. “I wasn’t sharing my sexual fantasies,” he corrected Sokka brightly. “Just my level of sexual experience.”

“Aang,” Sokka said in his Serious And Important voice, which was just like his regular voice only deeper, looking Aang in the eye to make sure Aang understood every single word, “that is so far from the point it’s -- that is so far from the problem with the -- what you were saying -- it’s basically -- Yue!” 

“Let me get this straight,” Zuko said, struggling not to laugh. “The details of Aang’s sexual experiences are just like … your ex girlfriend the moon?” 

Sokka absolutely exploded. “No! No! They couldn’t -- my desire to hear about his sexual fantasies are so far they are like -- it’s the distance, Yue is like the distance I want between me and Aang’s sexual --”

Sokka was cut off by a giant wave crashing over his body. He was knocked sideways off his feet and popped up, coughing and sputtering. 

Katara looked down at him disdainfully. “I will drown the next person who so much as thinks ‘Aang’ and ‘sexual fantasies’,” Katara said icily. 

“But --”

The water behind Katara surged upward threateningly and Sokka gulped and fell silent. 

“Now, Aang,” Katara spoke briskly, “you’re going to find Toph and apologize. She’s probably cooled down a bit by now anyway. Ask if you can talk to her, then apologize immediately and ask her what she wants you to do. She was just scared you’re going to reject her.”

“What?” Aang said. “I would never reject anyone!”

“Yes, I know,” Katara said patiently. “So go tell that to Toph.”

“Yes, Sifu Katara,” Aang said and bowed. 

“Oh for the love of Tu and La,” Katara cursed as Aang airbent his way to the ground. “The shit I have to deal with. Now, does anyone else have any questions?”

Every single hand shot up. 

“Zuko, put your hand down, you asshole.”

Zuko grinned. 

 

* * *

 

Aang found Toph alone. That was probably a good thing -- not that Aang didn’t want to meet her girlfriend! Again! He did! She seemed really sweet! But, he admitted to himself, it  _ was _ probably better she wasn’t here. 

He touched down lightly. 

Toph sighed and turned to face him. “I suppose you’re here to apologize?”

“Yeah --”

“Save it,” Toph said. 

“No, Toph, you have to believe me --”

“No,” Toph said. She was sitting on the ground and kicking at the dirt. Her shoulders were slumped and she seemed deflated. “I mean, save it. I know you didn’t mean it. I know you’re sorry. You don’t -- have to say it.”

“Oh,” Aang said. “Why not?”

“I know I shouldn’t have gotten so mad,” Toph told. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Aang said. “I spoke without thinking. I am sorry. And I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s fine,” Toph said. “I know what everyone thinks anyway. You know, it’s not proper, or it’s not going to produce heirs or you know eventually some man will want me even though I’m blind --”

“Toph!” Aang stopped her, horrified. “None of us think that.”

“Of course you don’t,” she spat out bitterly. “I --” she stopped. 

Aang stepped closer. “Did someone say something to you?”

Toph’s laugh was hollow. “I introduced her to my parents before coming here,” she told Aang, which told him everything he needed to know. 

He dropped down beside her. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “But if they told you any of those things, they aren’t true.”

“Yeah, they are --”

“No,” Aang interrupted. “Suki told me that the Kyoshi warriors have, um, girlfriends all the time! And they’re Earth Kingdom!”

“Really?” Toph asked, actually sounding hopeful. 

“Yeah!” Aang said. “You’re parents don’t know what they’re talking about! They used to think you were all delicate and needed protection! But they changed their mind about that, right?”

“Yeah,” Toph said. “Kind of. Not -- I guess.”

That wasn’t as encouraging as Aang hoped. 

“Well, you’ve got us,” he said firmly. “And -- Jin, I guess?”

“Eh,” Toph shrugged. “I dunno if I like her.”

“But -- you brought her -- you said -- what?” Aang asked. 

“I just -- I guess I just wanted you guys to know,” she admitted in a kind of low, kind of ashamed voice. “And I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I’m sorry,” Aang told her. “I know you know, but. I really didn’t mean what I said. At the Air Temples, people didn’t really have boyfriends or girlfriends. Sometimes they would -- you know -- but only to have babies.”

“No offense, Twinkletoes,” Toph said, “but that’s super weird.”

“I guess it must seem that way,” Aang admitted. “Especially since the Air Nomads have been gone from the world for so long.”

“Yeah,” Toph said, a little awkwardly. 

“But I shouldn’t have said anything to you,” Aang said. “I mean, I have a girlfriend, so I’m not exactly living like an Air Nomad either.”

Toph punched him in the arm. “That’s because you and Katara are going to have lots and lots of little Air Nomad babies.”

“Do you really think so?” Aang perked up. “I think that would be so fun! I bet they’d be airbenders! I could show them to airbend!”

“See? You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Toph said, jovially. 

“I’m sorry it’s not the same for you,” Aang said. 

Toph looked down. “These sorts of things are mostly -- left alone, in the Earth Kingdom. But. My parents had -- expectations. They’d been in a few marriage prospect talks, trying to arrange me a match.”

“They were going to put you in an arranged marriage?” Aang asked, horrified. “But -- what if you don’t love the other person?”

“It’s wealthy people shit, Aang. It’s all this society bullshit -- that’s why I ran away. I hate those constraints! I don’t want to go to dances and to sit meekly at dinners and to marry some guy I don’t even know!” She paused. “Why don’t they get that?”

Aang shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. He wasn’t sure what else to say. “Those things all sound pretty terrible. Except the dances,” Aang added. “I think I’d be good at the dances.”

Toph cracked a smile at that. “You would,” she told him. 

Aang beamed.

Then Toph looked sideways out her eye at him. “We should probably find the others,” she told him. “Maybe don’t mention Jin.”

Aang winced. “Okay, so the thing there is that I already told -- like, everyone --”

“You told everyone?” Toph said. 

“... Yes.” Aang squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for Toph to yell. 

Instead, he felt her wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, thank God,” she said. “Everyone already knows! God, I don’t even need to date Jin anymore! I could just dump her!”

“I mean, you did kind of bring her all the way to the Fire Nation,” Aang tried to point out. “So you probably shouldn’t, you know, just dump her …”

Toph waved his point away with her hand. “She should be thanking me for bring her all the way out here -- completely free, international travel,” Toph said. “I mean, this is just great! I was stressing the whole trip over here how I was going to tell you guys but then you just opened your big mouth and told them all!”

“Um,” Aang said. “You’re welcome?”

“Twinkletoes,” Toph said, throwing her arm around his shoulders. “You’re my very own personal hero.”

 

* * *

 

When they got back to the group, Katara was standing up and everyone was seated in a semi circle around her. Sokka had his hand up. Katara appeared to be viciously ignoring him in favor of drawing crude stick figures on a white scroll one of Zuko’s guards (number thrity-three) was holding up. 

As they got closer, Aang began to make out the stick figures. One of them was a man  _ holding hands _ with a girl figure! And there were two girl figures and then one with two guy figures and then -- oh, spirits, Aang felt sick. He really hadn’t needed to know what a stick figure birth would look like. He turned bright pink. He had never been more glad that Toph was blind. 

“Which is why,” Katara was saying, “you should never shame anyone for -- oh, hey Aang! And Toph!”

“Hey Katara!” Aang called back. “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” Katara said, “I’m teaching these idiots how to avoid your mistakes. It’s like class.”

“Yeah,” Suki chimed in with a shit eating grin while Sokka face-palmed. “It’s called How Not To React When Your Friend Starts Dating Someone Unexpected! You were our first case study, Aang!”

Aang smiled sheepishly. 

“Hey, losers,” Toph said. “Help me find my girlfriend.”

“Yeah, where is she?” Sokka asked. 

“Honestly, Sokka, she just said she didn’t know,” Katara said at the same time Toph shrugged. 

“I’m in,” Suki said, jumping up, dragging a reluctant Zuko with her and without another word, the six of them set off across the palace in search of 

“What’s her name again?”

“Jin, I think?” Toph responded. 

“Toph!” Katara snapped, reprovingly. 

“I’m kidding!” Toph protested. Everyone kept joking and laughing and chatting as they walked and Aang felt something inside himself release. He was home again. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments give me life? thanks for reading!! <3


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